Today I spent about 8 hours cleaning my 18 size Elgin. It was horrible!
I spent about 30 min disassembling it (all good)
About 2 hours cleaning and it (all good)
And 5 hours 30 mins assembling it ( About 4 hours assembling it and the other one and a half hours cursing the thing !)
Everything that could go wrong did, but what really screwed me over was the winding and setting stuff, I got the whole watch together in its case only to discover that I couldn't set the hands, so I took it all apart again (took out the mainspring barrel to access the w/s stuff) fixed the problem put it back in the case only to find that something came out and would have to take apart again. And then this fell out, and then that fell out. And then this didnt work and then that didnt work, and so on.
After I finally got this thing together (working) I put it back in my safe and I dont want to see it again for another three months
Assembling a full plate movements is horrible!
Well that was my day

Francesco

Here is the horrible watch (sorry for bad photo)

Again sorry for bad photo

You did fine if that is an initial full plate attempt. You didn't throw it at the wall, run over it with a train, super glue the pallet in. You did well!

Haha, but I did prestik the pallet

Francesco,
I'm sure we've all been there. I feel for you. I know I've been there many times, and wonder sometimes why I even bother.
The key I think here is to walk away from it when you begin to get frustrated.
I've got about 3 Elgins similar in various states of repair. I'm beginning to get more unfinished than finished.!!
Hang in there.

Dave, stop by sometime and finish some of mine!

Thanks Dave, the darn thing just stopped, so now again I have to take it apart and diagnose the problem and attempt to fix it

Sounds like one of my cleaning jobs. Worked before cleaning but now doesn't work after cleaning.

Then you have to give it to one of your friends to let them fix what was working in the first place

Mike, I don't think I'll live long enough. The more of them I work on the bigger the pile gets!

Francesco, Mike, Harry,

Maybe we could start trading watches that don't run!

Well Dave Ive got a truck load if you want

WATCH COLLECTING----A JOY!!! WATCH REPAIRING ----SOMETIMES REWARDING --- AND SOMETIMES A CURE FOR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE LOL

Once I blew up a watch with an M-80 and on another occasion a point blank shot from a Crossman 760 powermaster BB gun! I felt better though.

William

Franseco,I use to have the same problem with full plate movements and then I learned they are much easier to assemble upside down.Regards.Norm

Francesco, I use Rodico to hold the pallet fork

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...713949377#5713949377

and it has saved much time in assembly. Watches that stop jusyt want you to give them attention. Make sure all the pivots are CLEAN. The check that the hairspring is not rubbing on the balance wheel cross arms.

Well Francesco, Now that you are broke in and qualified I'll send you some of my Dollar watches. But as David says, my biggest headache is getting the hairsprings in properly so they don't rub. Also as you mentioned earlier I really do wonder say since 1860 how many have been bounced off the wall by the repair persons? I wish at 16 I would have had the knowledge you do today but I was out burning up tires and getting tickets.

The upside down method Norm suggested works for me too as long as I keep my head out of the bucket.

RR

guys, this was some funny stuff, thanks, I needed that! HAPPY EASTER ALL! regards Joe

Hey, at least it's clean. ....
Seriously though, the full plate watches are the hardest to work on as a beginner, if you got it put together without breaking something you did better than I did when I started this obsession

On the 18s I find if I want to clean it and I want it to work I pay someone else to clean it.

Agreed Joe, I needed a good laugh and this did the trick. Thanks everyone.
J. C.

Whew! I thought I was about to read another horror story of someone finding a watch that had been hosed out with WD40!!

Regards! Mark